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Black Dog
Black Dog, sometimes known as the Hound of Hell, is a fictional character from the Wild Cards series of books. He he keeps his face hidden and is a terrorist and leader of the Twisted Fists History Little is known about the Black Dog except that he was born to a Brooklyn Jewish family that emigrated to Israel when he was nine. He drew the joker when he was twenty and currently resides in the Jokers' Quarter in Jerusalem. No one knows the type or extent of his deformity. He wears a black canine mask when in the Black Dog persona. The identification of the black mask with Black Dog makes it easy for him to move about unnoticed by simply slipping on another type of mask. The Fists are a terrorist organization, but they are not crazed. They are cold and calculating and strike only at targets that have harmed jokers. Their vow is "five for one." Kill a joker, and five of the offending group pay with their lives. They are bitter enemies of the Nur and are probably the only force that prevents the Nur from drenching Jerusalem's Jokers' Quarter with blood. Though the Twisted Fists are centered in the Middle East, most of their financial support comes from America, specifically Jokertown. The have cells in other countries and have supplied assistance where Black Dog feels it will help jokers, such as sending arms and aces to The Rox. Black Dog makes sure his organization stays well informed and has several moles placed in key positions. Upon learning of the Card Sharks' supplying the Nur with their ultimate weapon, the Black Trump virus, Dog immediately took steps to correct the balance of power. To that end, he retained the services of aces Croyd Crenson and Zoe Harris to purchase a black market soviet warhead in Odessa and smuggle it back to Jerusalem. If the Nur dared to release the deadly Black Trump, Dog would either preemptively attack the Nur's nomadic camp or annihilate the Dome of the Rock in retaliation. Caught off guard by the Sharks, the Black Trump was released in Jerusalem by Agent April Harvest. Willing to sacrifice the jokers of Jerusalem to save wild carders around the world, Black Dog was present when Hannah Davis and Gregg Hartmann initiated the nuclear device's countdown. Unfortunately, they learned too late that ace Mark Meadows had produced a so-called Overtrump vaccine to neutralize the Black Trump. Hartmann sacrificed his own life to prematurely detonate the trigger explosion thus preventing the bomb from going nuclear. In the aftermath of the explosion Black Dog was captured by SCARE ace Billy Ray. Black Dog's current status is unknown. Wild Card Traits The extent of Black Dog's mutation is unknown. It is possible Black Dog is some form of joker-ace as he has been described as having an unusual degree of "Presence" and his personal magnetism seems to affect how others think. Appearance No one knows the type or extent of Black Dog's joker abnormality or, if they do, they're not around to tell anyone. He generally wears long black robes and a black, canine mask when he's on the job, and then takes it off when he's not. He is a tall man with a deep, resonant voice, mingling the accents of Brooklyn and Jerusalem. Personality Black Dog is jaded and cynical by nature. He is willing to make hard decisions and sacrifice the lives of the few for the many. Dog's "five for one" policy is cruel, but effective. He has a morbid sense of humor, though he is not without a sense of honor and even compassion. Incredibly strong willed, Black Dog was able to think and survive even after being shot twice and hit by shrapnel. Trivia Selected Reading * References